chapter 3

A week ago, while Colton was away on a business trip, Camille came to my house just to hurl insults at me.

“Oh? Pregnant now? You think you can trap him with that bastard in your belly?

“Don’t kid yourself. Even if you give birth, that child will be just as unwanted and filthy as you. No one will ever love it. Or you.”

I didn’t bother arguing with someone like her. I opened the door and shoved her out.

I didn’t expect her to walk past the walk-in freezer, step inside, and get herself locked in. I was just leaving when I casually turned the lock.

Trapped inside, Camille sent Colton a series of dramatic texts.

“Colton, I know Sadie hates me. I only hope she’ll take care of you after I’m gone.”

“Colton, I’m freezing to death. But I can’t bear to leave you.”

“Colton, I’m sorry. I love you. Please forget me.”

Colton actually pushed his work aside during the business trip, bought a plane ticket, and rushed back to look for Camille like a madman. He finally opened the walk-in freezer and pulled her out, shivering from the cold.

I stood a short distance away, watching as he held her in his arms and roared like an enraged lion.

“Don’t leave me, Camille. You’re not allowed to leave me. Ever.”

Back then, I thought it was ridiculous. It had only been over an hour. She wasn’t even close to dying.

They were acting like it was some kind of tragic goodbye.

Until Colton shattered my arms and legs just to stuff me into a seafood freezer bin. That was when I understood what love could make a man do to someone else.

Love belonged to them.

Pain belonged to me.

“You selfish bitch! Do you even know what you did? Camille has claustrophobia! You locked her in a cold, dark walk-in freezer. That could’ve killed her!

“You think being my wife gives you the right to do whatever you want? Not this time, Sadie. You’re not getting out until you give me an answer.”

Even now, his face was still clouded with rage, as if he were waiting for me to drop to my knees, confess everything, and obediently finish writing that apology letter.

But that moment would never come.

—

“Mr. Blackwood... Something awful... Mrs. Blackwood...

“She’s not breathing!”

Colton froze.

I watched his face closely, wondering if he’d show even the slightest trace of grief.

But all I saw was a sneer.

“Sadie, are you trying to pull another trick? I thought you’d finally learned your lesson. And now you’re pretending to be dead?

“If you really want to die that badly, fine. I’ll watch you get cremated with my own eyes. Let’s see how long you can keep up the act.”

He gently held Camille and said coldly, “Tell her she has thirty minutes. If she doesn’t show up by then, she can disappear forever.”

Jared clenched his fists. He looked like he wanted to speak, but froze when Colton barked, “What are you waiting for? Go!”

Then he turned to Camille with that familiar softness.

“Camille, don’t go easy on her this time. You need to be firm. Let her see who she’s messing with.

“I’ll make her kneel and beg for your forgiveness. Don’t pity her. This is exactly what she deserves.”

Camille blinked, her big eyes flickering with a hint of hesitation.

“Colton...”

I didn’t even have the strength to hate anymore. But my spirit was trapped by Colton’s side, unable to escape. All I could do was watch as he cursed me, humiliated me, and laughed at me.

This was the man I had loved for over ten years.

I never realized how deeply he despised me. That in his eyes, I was nothing but a stain on his life. A burden.

I had clung to him like some disgusting fly for over a decade, thinking I could warm him. Thinking maybe, someday, he’d fall in love with me.

When he finally agreed to be with me, I was so happy I cried.

What I didn’t know was that he only married me because he wanted my family’s frozen goods business. He wanted luxury without lifting a finger.

After we got married, I tried everything to win his heart. I gave him emotional support. I cooked healthy meals for him. I took care of his health. I did everything I could to make him care.

And for a while, it seemed to work. He came home early. He had dinner with me. Sometimes, he even gave me massages.

I really thought he had fallen for me.

When I found out I was pregnant, I couldn’t wait to tell him.

But he said coldly, “How could you possibly be pregnant?”

I didn’t hear the anger in his voice. Instead, I smiled and said, “I don’t know how, but it just happened. Colton, do you think our baby will look more like you or me?”

He snorted, “I’ve been giving you birth control pills for months. And now you’re pregnant? You expect me to believe that baby’s mine?”

I cried and promised, “Colton, this baby is yours. I swear, I never cheated on you. We can get a DNA test.”

Later, I found out that the day I told him I was pregnant was the same day he reconnected with Camille.

And that message I sent him? He showed it to her. Like a joke.

Over ten years of effort. All the warmth I had poured into him had only begun to melt his frozen heart. And the moment she returned, it all disappeared.

Everything became nothing.

Turned out, spirits could feel heartbreak too.

I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

Just like when I was trapped inside that freezer bin. That same suffocating, helpless pain crushed me from every side.

And Colton? Still holding Camille in his arms, growing more and more impatient.